10 replies to this topic

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Okay, so this is more me whining about a will-remain-nameless fellow player, but it is solid advice nonetheless...

If you're NOT the scout, that is...

DO NOT follow the scout. It's enough for the team to make do with ONE mech off doing its own thing. TWO is a bit much on most maps. Any more than that, and you're usually sacrificing most of the team to being outnumbered and outgunned, and it will inevitably end in salty tears.

IF you ignore the above, then DO NOT stand directly behind or next to the scout. Leave some room, in case he needs to back up off of his OP, or needs to reposition a little for a better view of the enemy, or whatever. IF he takes LRM fire or a strike, the closer you are is the more damage that you ALSO face from those area attacks. And usually, the scout is in a light mech with relatively thin armor. He (I) could do without having it banged-up by a careless Nova pilot.

AND IF you ignore BOTH of the above, then at least DO NOT blow the scout's cover by firing your awesome lasers from RIGHT NEXT TO HIM (ME) at the enemy, thereby drawing the enemy's attention to your (and his) position. Like, say, if he has overwatch on 8 or 9 of the enemy's mechs, in the open, who are oblivious to his presence there, a mere 300-ish meters away, and they suddenly take notice of your position, then you and the scout will be focused by those 8 or 9 mechs.

And IF you ignore ALL OF THE ABOVE, then don't be surprised when that scout picks up and leaves you in the dust to face that enemy force, 9-to-1, all on your own.

Along with the above, if you see ME out there in a light mech moving off away from the core of the friendly force in the general direction of the enemy's suspected position, you can assume that I'm doing official light mech recon business, and feel no compulsion to follow me. I'm not a lead-the-charge-from-the-front kind of light mech pilot. And I'm NOT AT ALL a fan of being ratted out to the enemy by the presence of someone else who simply doesn't get it.

Scouts work alone out here in the 31st century. Please respect that.

And also, when that scout finds you 8 or 9 targets in the open, and you have LRMs, feel free to use them. It's fairly depressing when you get that once-in-a-million-drops opportunity, and no one on your team takes advantage of it IN SPITE OF your repeated pleas to them to JUST ATTACK THE DOGGONE TARGETS I'VE FOUND FOR YOU, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

[SnagaDance]

Quote

And IF you ignore ALL OF THE ABOVE, then don't be surprised when that scout picks up and leaves you in the dust to face that enemy force, 9-to-1, all on your own.

Truth time? I'll do that anyway. No sense in wasting the lives of 2 mechs, should have stayed with the pack slomo.

"And if you die, remember to scream a lot, then I'll know I'm on my own."

[Torezu]

SnagaDance, on 12 October 2015 - 12:20 AM, said:

"And if you die, remember to scream a lot, then I'll know I'm on my own."

Just remember, a scout serves the most purpose in its death if it disappears in a visible ball of fire. I mean, better off alive, but at least then the scout's team is aware of the enemy position.

[DR4GONFLYE]

*Raises hand* Guilty of following too closely to the mech that is ahead of me and trying to peek over the ridge. It got both of us tore up by lrms when he tried to back up and I was there in a big slow mech. Good advice there for rookies.

Edited by DR4GONFLYE, 12 October 2015 - 09:52 AM.

[Spleenslitta]

You can take Rabbi's word for it. He works best alone. I know because we experimented on tagteam skirmishing/scouting.
It did not work out that well. He cannot stick around in an area when he has been discovered.
He needs to run off to hit the enemy from a new angle and having someone else with him just increases chances of discovery.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Spleenslitta, on 12 October 2015 - 10:05 AM, said:

You can take Rabbi's word for it. He works best alone. I know because we experimented on tagteam skirmishing/scouting.
It did not work out that well. He cannot stick around in an area when he has been discovered.
He needs to run off to hit the enemy from a new angle and having someone else with him just increases chances of discovery.

^^^ An expert harasser, and great team player, this one. You want to learn to rack up BIG damage in a light mech? FOLLOW HIS ADVICE. As he said, we've dropped together trying to work together. He's pretty awesome at what he does.

Man, even in a death ball, you have to leave a little space next to the next mech, to allow for maneuver. And with the arty and air strikes flowing like they have been lately, keeping some interval between mechs is a good idea anyway.

(MAN, that OP yesterday was BEAUTIFUL! Dropped an Imp. Arty on them, and they never even glanced to the sides or rear. SO TUNNEL VISION. MUCH IGNORE. It hurt me deep down inside, having to abandon that OP.)

[DR4GONFLYE]

*Raises hand yet again* Rookie question: What does "OP" mean?

[Not A Real RAbbi]

"Observation Post"

A position from which a scout observes, or attempts to observe, enemy activities and positions. From this position, the scout may direct fires against enemy assets/positions, including use of TAG/NARC, deployment of UAVs, and so on. The OP is intended to provide obscurity from enemy observation to the scout as well, and will naturally provide at least TWO (2) covered and concealed routes of ingress and egress. The scout is responsible to identify his own OP based on (ever heard of METT-TC?) the situation and the commander's orders.

Something all quasi-official sounding like that.

It's a place. It's the place where the scout camps his enemy, where they (hopefully) don't see him and he (again hopefully) sees all of them, and it allows him to observe their activities and movements, and to even provide feedback to the team on the effectiveness of their fires against enemy targets.

Know what I mean?

[DR4GONFLYE]

*Raises both hands, turns them into fists. Holds fists vertically and extends both thumbs toward the sky*

Thanks.

[mailin]

It happens so many times that I've announced "scouting water" and what happens? A couple of mechs follow me, including a Dire Wolf, fire at the enemy and then get upset with me when I abandon them. Argh.

[Audacious Aubergine]

I think the rule of "don't follow directly behind someone" applies to just about everything. The number of times I've corner poked in every single class of mech only to be stuck out in the open because of someone burying their cockpit up my butt is astounding. Sometimes I have the firepower and/or armour to consider risking a charge/mad dash for cover on the other side of the opening. Other times, not so lucky.